The present invention is directed to improvements in the tooling used in compaction equipment and tableting machines, and particularly the tooling used in the equipment utilized in making components of dry-cell batteries, e.g., various sizes of 1.5 volt (AAA, AA, C, D) and 9 volt batteries used in consumer electronic devices. It will be further appreciated that various aspects of the invention described herein may be suitable for use with well-known compaction tooling and tableting equipment, and particularly to center pins and punches employed in the manufacture of oral pharmaceuticals, etc.
Heretofore, a number of patents have disclosed processes and apparatus for the forming of parts by the compression of unstructured powders, sometimes followed by heat-treating of the compressed part. The relevant portions of these patents may be briefly summarized as follows; and are hereby incorporated by reference for their teachings:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,581 of Ribordy et al, issued Aug. 6, 1991, discloses an apparatus and method for fabricating a consolidated assembly of cathode material in a dry cell battery casing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,319 of Watanabe et al, issued Jun. 16, 1992, discloses a method of forming a thin-walled elongated cylindrical compact for a  magnet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,791 of Edmiston, issued Sep. 1, 1987, discloses a process for forming ceramic parts in which a die cavity is filled with a powder material, the powder is consolidated with acoustic energy, and the powder is further compressed with a mechanical punch and die assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,581 of Born et al, issued Jul. 27, 1999, discloses a process for preparing complex-shaped articles, comprising forming a first ceramic-metal part, forming a second part of another shape and material, and joining the two parts together.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a prior art compaction tool as might be employed for the production of a cylindrically shaped battery component. In use of such a tool in battery manufacturing, the die 20 receives a lower punch 22 that is inserted into the die. The lower punch includes a through-hole in the center thereof that allows a center pin 24 to be inserted therein. The punch and center pin then, in conjunction with the die, form a cavity into which a powder mix employed in battery manufacture can be deposited. Such a powder mix may include wetting agents, lubricating agents, and other proprietary solvents added just before filing the die cavity. Once filled, the cavity is then closed by an upper punch 26 that is inserted into the upper end of the die and the punches are directed toward one another so as to compact the powder material 28 therein. In typical systems, the compaction force is applied by mechanical and/or hydraulic systems so as to compress the powder material and produce a compacted part (e.g., a tablet or a cylindrical component), examples of which are described in the patents incorporated by reference above.
During the compaction process, however, the application of significant compressive forces results in a high friction level applied to the interior of the die surface in region 30 and to the exterior of the center pin tip in region 31. This friction force causes a high level of wear on the compaction tooling, resulting in the frequent need to change out and rework such tooling. Although it is known to employ ceramics in the interior region of the die, to reduce the wear from friction, ceramics have not been successfully employed on the center pin tip because of the difficulty in reliably affixing the ceramic to the center pin. Although a ceramic coating may be provided on a center pin tip by known methods, e.g. arc plasma spray coating, such coatings have not been found to be satisfactory.
Thus, it is often the case that the dies considerably outlast the center pins and that frequent replacement and rework of center pins continues to be a problem that plagues the powder compaction industry. One prior art method and apparatus for the manufacturing of cylindrical dry cell batteries, which entails the compression of powdered material is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,581 of Ribordy et al, previously incorporated by reference.
The present invention is, therefore, directed to both an apparatus that successfully employs a ceramic component on the wear surfaces of a compaction tooling center pin or core rod, as well as the methods of making and repairing the same. In particular, the invention relies on various alternative embodiments for connecting a ceramic component to the end of a metal center pin base; the selection of the particular embodiment may be dependent upon the use characteristics for the apparatus.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for forming a powder material into a solid form through the application of pressure, comprising: a die; a lower compression punch insertable into a lower end of said die, said lower compression punch having a ceramic-tipped center pin passing therethrough where the ceramic reduces the wear of said outer surface of said center pin; means for filling at least a portion of the cavity defined by said die, said lower compression punch, and said center pin with the powder material; and an upper compression punch, insertable into an upper end of said die to compact the powder material.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a compression center pin for use in a punch and die powder compaction apparatus, comprising the steps of: forming a center pin base of a rigid material (e.g., tool steel or pre-hardened steel); forming a center pin tip of a ceramic material (e.g., zirconia); and affixing the center pin tip to the center pin base.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of repairing a compression center pin for use in a punch and die powder compaction apparatus, comprising the steps of: removing a center pin tip from a center pin base; reworking or replacing the center pin tip with a ceramic material (e.g., zirconia); and affixing the center pin tip to the center pin base.
One aspect of the invention is based on the discovery of techniques for connecting or semi-permanently affixing a ceramic tip for a center pin to the center pin base in a manner that will survive the high pressure and friction of the compaction apparatus. The techniques described herein not only allow for the successful attachment of ceramic tips, but also allow for the reworking and replacement thereof, so that only damaged or worn components are replaced, and not the entire center pin. It will be appreciated that solid ceramic center pins may be produced, however, they are believed to be cost prohibitive and difficult to repair and rework.
The techniques described herein are advantageous because they can be adapted to any of a number of compaction tooling applications. In addition, they can be used in other similar compaction embodiments to allow for the use of ceramic materials in high-friction environments where tool steels and other surface hardening processes fail to provide sufficient improvement in tool life. The techniques of the invention are advantageous because they provide a range of alternatives, each of which is useful in appropriate situations. As a result of the invention, the life of compaction center pins and other tooling may be significantly increased and the cost of reworking the same may be reduced.
The present invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment, however, it will be understood that there is no intent to limit the invention to the embodiments described. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.